Secret Santa Bean Town Style
by MM-UP
Summary: Title is kinda self-explaining :). Complete (for now).
1. Early December

**Secret Santa Bean Town Style**

Chapter 1- Early December

**Rating:** K+ (not K because Jane likes to use 'bad words' too much)

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**A/N:  
**1. The remaining episodes of Season 4 will be featuring Det. Barry Frost, and so will this fanfic. If you don't like this, please go and find another fic to read.  
2. I'm kinda proud of myself for publishing a Secret Santa fic at the right time of the year- my last Christmas fic, 'Naval Criminal Investigative Santa' (NCIS fandom), was written and published in March :).

**Warning: **Fluff! alert (but hey, it's Christmas time, so I think that's okay :-). Now, on with the story.

* * *

Boston PD, Homicide Unit

"Good Mooor-ning!", a cheerful voice sounded through the room, causing Detective Jane Rizzoli to look up from her computer screen: "Hey Ma. What're you doin' with that bowl?"

Angela Rizzoli showed the bowl's contents (several folded pieces of paper) to her daughter before placing the bright pink container on Jane's desk. "Pick one."

Jane frowned. "Why?"

"Just do it."

With great reluctance, Jane stuck her hand into the bowl, picked one of the notes, and unfolded it. "Detective-"

"Ssshhh!"

"Don't shush me!"

"I'm your mother, I can shush you all I want", Angela retorted, completely unfazed by her daughter's evil glare. "We're playin' Secret Santa this year."

Jane's frown deepened: "'We', as in...?"

"... the Rizzoli family including Lydia, Maura, Barry, and Vince."

* * *

As if on cue, Seargeant Detective Vince Korsak stepped into the room. "Is it just me or did someone say my name?"

"My mother-" Angela recieved another glare- "wants to play Secret Santa this year", Jane explained to her coworker. "Though last time I checked, we were all grown-ups, not a bunch of kindergarten kids..."

"I think it's a nice idea", Korsak disagreed before walking over to Angela, wanting to pick a note from the pink bowl, but the older Rizzoli stopped him. "Wait, Janie has to put her note back 'cause she read out the name that was written on it."

"I didn't, the only thing I read out was, 'Detective', no last name!" Jane rolled her eyes as her mother held the bowl out for her to put the note back. "Okay. Fine." Huffing, the brunette re-folded the piece of paper and threw it into the pink container. "Happy?"

"Well, now you have to pick a new note", Angela pointed out, to which Jane rolled her eyes again: "Really?"

When her mother didn't reply, Jane sighed, grabbed another note from the bowl, and unfolded it. _Damn, I should've kept the piece of paper with Frost's name on it. I've zero idea what to give to this person- _and the poor, unsuspecting note found itself at the wrong end of the infamous Rizzoli glare, even though it was by no means responsible for the name Angela had written on it.

* * *

Division One café, lunchtime

"Hey Ma."

"Frankie." Angela was still getting used to her son running around the station in a suit instead of his patrol cop uniform (Frankie had recently been promoted to Detective). "The usual?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. You can pick a note while I'm preparing your coffee." Angela nodded towards the pink bowl sitting on the counter.

"A note? For what?"

"We're playing Secret Santa this year."

"Really?" With a shrug, Frankie picked a note, accepted his cup of coffee, and left.

* * *

_Now that was easy_, Angela thought, turning back to the counter just in time to see Dr Maura Isles entering the café. _Phew, thank God I don't have to go down to the morgue to see her. I honestly don't know how she can work in a room full of dead bodies. _The older Rizzoli shuddered, which didn't go unnoticed by the doctor: "Angela, are you cold?"

"No, I'm fine. I assume you're here for lack of caffeine?"

Maura couldn't help but smile a little. _So Jane isn't the only Rizzoli who's been picking up on my, 'Google talk', as she calls it. _"Exactly."

"So, the usual for you, too?"

"Yes, please."

"Coming right up. Oh, and you can pick a note while the coffee's boiling."

"A note?"

"Yep, from this bowl." Angela nudged the pink container closer to Maura, who furrowed her brow: "What's the purpose of this?"

"It's called Secret Santa. Everyone writes their name on a piece of paper, folds it, and puts it into a bowl. Then, you pick one of those notes and buy a Christmas present for the person whose name is written on it. On Christmas Eve, everyone opens their gifts and it's revealed who bought which present."

"Oh!" Maura's face lit up in understanding. "I never got to play this as a kid." The blonde stuck her hand into the bowl, but hesitated before picking a note: "Who's taking part in the game? And is there a price limit for the gifts?"

"The Rizzoli family including Lydia, Barry, Vince, and you, and the gifts can be up to $ 20- Maura dear, are you okay?"

The M.E. swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. "It's just that it feels so... nice to be included into someone else's family like this. As you know, I went off to boarding school when I was ten, and while I always spent Christmas with my parents, I never really enjoyed it as much as last year's Rizzoli Christmas dinner."

"Aww, thank you..." The only thing that prevented Angela from walking around the corner and hugging Maura was a bunch of patrol cops in obvious need of caffeine entering the café. "Sorry, my work's calling", the older Rizzoli apologized with a smile.

"So is mine." Smiling back, Maura grabbed her coffee mug and a note from the pink bowl and left for the elevator. Inside, she unfolded the note and read the name on it. _I think I already have an idea of what to give to this person..._

* * *

Later that day, Detective Barry Frost, Tommy Rizzoli, and Tommy's girlfriend Lydia picked the three remaining notes from the pink bowl, and the Secret Santa challenge was on.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry I don't have any peanut butter to go with the fluff from this chapter :). Anyway, I'll try to upload ch. 2 ASAP (i.e. before Christmas Eve).


	2. Christmas Dinner Part I

**Secret Santa Bean Town Style**

Chapter 2- Christmas Dinner I

**Rating: **K+ for some swearing

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**A/N:** 4 reviews, 5 fav's, and 23 follows in less than 24 hours after the story was published somehow convinced me to write a second chapter ;-).

* * *

Dinner went down smoothly- almost suspiciously smooth for a family as chaotic as the Rizzolis. In fact, the only remarkable things that happened were Jane hitting her head on the underside of the table while retrieving her fork from the floor, Tommy trying to engage in a food fight with Frankie (only to be glared at by Angela in a, "Don't be such a bad role model for your son!", way), and Frost bumping into Frankie when they met halfway between the dinner table and the bathroom.

"Whoops, sorry", Frost apologized.

"No problem." Frankie rubbed his shoulder and frowned when the other Detective didn't move. "Don't you wanna go back to the table?"

Frost pointed to the ceiling. "Mistletoe."

Out of reflex, Frankie glanced up, too, and found that Frost was right. _Crap. _"So... we have to kiss now, huh?"

"Yep."

Frankie took a deep breath. _Okay. I can do this. I've never kissed another guy, never wanted to, but I can do this- _"Hey!"

While Frankie had been busy giving himself an internal pep talk, Frost had stepped forward and pecked the younger Detective on the cheek, only to immediately back away and complain, "Hey, when was the last time you shaved? You're scratchy!"

"Oh, silly me, I should've seen it comin' that I was gonna kiss my sister's work partner under the mistletoe tonight!"

Frost grinned and lightly punched Frankie's side. "Just kiddin'. Let's go back to the table and see if there's any tiramisu left over, shall we?"

* * *

Some time later, Korsak leant back in his chair with his hands clasped over his stomach, making it clear that he wasn't going to move from this position unless he absolutely had to. "Angela, your cooking was delicious as always, but right now, I'm absolutely stuffed."

"Too stuffed to open you Secret Santa gift?" The remark earned Frost a glare from his older coworker. "I'm sure I'll manage that just fine, kiddo."

"Well, just wanted to make sure I don't have to open a gift I'm not even allowed to keep afterwards..."

Meanwhile, Frankie had gone to the hallway and returned with a big jute bag which he placed next to the table. "Does anyone wanna open this bag?" When no one replied, Frankie opened the bag himself and pulled out the first gift. "And the first Oscar... sorry, the first gift goes to... Korsak!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, everyone had unwrapped their presents:

Korsak got a DVD about a man who helped dog owners train their dogs,

Maura, a big bag of fudge clusters,

Jane, a box of honey dust (which gave her face the approximate colour of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer's nose),

Frost got a Red Sox scarf,

Frankie, an Easy Rider- T-shirt,

Tommy, a photobook,

Lydia, a shopping gift coupon,

and Angela, a book on strange laws from all over the world.

* * *

"Okay guys, whose _brilliant _idea was it to give me this?" Glaring at everyone at the table, Jane held up her box of honey dust.

Angela raised her hand like a schoolgirl, causing Jane to whip around so fast that she almost fell off her chair. "MA?! WHAT THE..."

"Well, actually it's my fault." Jane whipped back around and stared at Frost in disbelief. "Excuse me?!"

"I got the note with your name on it and I didn't really have an idea 'bout what you wanted for Christmas-"

"- and of all people you could've asked, you chose my _mother?_" Under the table, Maura put her hand on Jane's knee and started lightly rubbing up and down the fabric of the brunette's pants (Jane had refused to wear a dress because she was on call tonight, and "wouldn't be caught dead showin' up at work in a dress", as she had put it).

_It's almost scary how she can calm me down just by touchin' me. _The Detective smiled at her best friend before turning back to her work partner. "Uh, never mind. I don't think I'm gonna need that stuff anytime soon, but still, thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, whose name was written on your note?"

"Lydia's."

"Really?" Tommy's blonde girlfriend beamed at Jane. "Thank you! We can go shopping together some time, what d'you think?"

"Nah, I'm not much of a shoppin' type. But I'm sure Maura'd be up for it."

"Huh?" The M.E. was startled out of what seemed to be very deep thoughts. "I'm sorry, would you please repeat that?"

"I told Lydia you'd _loooove _to go shoppin' with her."

Maura blinked a few times. "Was that sarcasm, Detective? Because there was no need for it, I'd enjoy going shopping with Lydia."

_You enjoy shoppin' so much that you don't care about the company. _"Maur, you do realize that shoppin' with Lydia doesn't mean going to fancy designer stores, right?"

"Oh, clothes of good quality that also look good don't have to be expensive." Maura wasn't 100% happy with the word, 'good', appearing twice in the same sentence, but she couldn't change it anymore now.

* * *

**A/N: **Keep reading, I've divided this chapter in half 'cause it was so long.


	3. Christmas Dinner Part II

**Secret Santa Bean Town Style  
**

Chapter 3- Christmas Dinner II

**Rating: **K+ for some swearing

**Disclaimer: **I own neither Rizzoli & Isles nor Law & Order.

**A/N: **Slightly sappy ending alert, but like I said, it's Christmas time, so you'll have to bear with that :-).

* * *

"Ahem." Tommy cleared his throat. "Can we please drop the shoppin' topic now and come back to our little Secret Santa game?"

"Sure." Lydia looked at Korsak. "Frankie told me you like dogs a lot, so I got you that DVD."

"Well, I'm definitely gonna watch it once I have time. I've heard about this guy, but I didn't know there was a DVD showin' him training dogs." Korsak smiled at Lydia before changing topic: "Frankie, I bought that shirt to remind you of your first undercover job as a biker. Hope it's the right size."

"It is", Frankie assured the grey-haired Detective. "I'm not gonna sing, 'Born to be wild', now, though, 'cause if I started singin', you'd all run away screaming."

"Frankie, I'm sure you're a better singer than you give yourself credit for", Maura stated.

"Aww, thanks Doc, but I'm absolutely tone deaf." Frankie looked around the table, eventually focusing on his mother. "I thought since two of your kids are cops, you might wanna learn a little more about law and order."

"Law & Order, the TV show?", Korsak asked, puzzled. "What? I'm not _that_ old, I do own a TV and I even know how to switch it on!"

Frost's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "You do?"

* * *

Korsak was about to reply when Frankie cleared his throat. "No, law and order as in... well, just open the book and see for yourself."

Angela did just that, skimmed over the text, and grinned. "Did you know that in Kentucky, a woman in a bikini isn't allowed to go near a highway unless she's armed with a bludgeon or accompanied by at least two cops?"

"Hear that, Janie?", Tommy yelled across the table. "Next time you're in Kentucky, make sure to stay away from everything that looks like a highway!"

His laughter was abruptly cut off by Jane's death glare. "Shut up. I don't wear bikinis and I'm not plannin' on goin' to Kentucky."

"But what if the woman is a cop herself?", Frankie wondered aloud. Angela checked the book page: "That's not said in here. It just says that this rule doesn't apply if the woman in question's lighter than 50 pounds, heavier that 200, or a female horse."

The table erupted in giggles and snorts as everyone tried to picture a horse in a bikini- everyone except two people, that is. TJ was too young to understand what exactly was going on, and Maura... well, Maura was trying very hard _not _to picture a certain female human in a bikini. _Stop it, she's your best friend- the only best friend you've ever had-, and not to mention straight, _the blonde reprimanded herself and returned her attention to the conversation between the people around her.

"- and I thought you and Lydia wanted to make one with photos of TJ", Angela was saying, from which Maura gathered that the older Rizzoli had been the one who had bought the still empty photobook for Tommy. _But what was she talking about before that?_

"If you need some ideas on how to organize a photobook, I can bring mine to the next family dinner."

"Please don't", Jane groaned. "The photos in your book are-"

"A nice reminder of what my kids looked like when they were little?"

"- Actually, I was gonna say embarassing..."

"Your mother made a book with childhood photos from you and your brothers? That's so cute! I bet you were a lovely little girl."

"She definitely was, but most of the time you couldn't see it 'cause her clothes were rumpled and her hair was all over the place from roughhousing with her brothers and the neighborhood boys..."

This time, Jane couldn't stop her eyes from rolling. "Ma, can we please talk about this another time? I wanna know whose name was written on Tommy's note."

"Maura's." Tommy looked at the blonde doctor. "A little birdie told me you like fudge clusters", he remarked, to which Maura furrowed her brow: "Actually, birds don't-"

"It's a saying, Maur", Jane explained from the corner of her mouth. "Even Tommy knows that real birds don't talk to humans."

"Hey, I heard that!"

Maura turned back to Tommy and smiled. "Sorry. Your, 'little birdie', was right, I do like fudge clusters. A lot, actually."

"Glad to hear that." Smiling as well, Tommy looked back and forth between the others. "I think Frost's Secret Santa is still missing."

"That would be me", Maura stated before turning to look at Frost. "I heard you complaining about having lost your scarf somewhere, and since it can get really cold in Boston in winter and a warm scarf is the best way to avoid a sore throat, I got you one. It's perhaps a bit too unprofessional for wearing at crime scenes, but you can still wear it on your way to work and back home or in your free time."

"Free time? What's that?", Frost joked while tying the Red Sox scarf around his neck. "Just kiddin'. Thanks, Doc."

"Detective Frost, how often do I have to tell you to please call me Maura? We're not at work right now."

"True. And outside of work, it's Barry, not Detective."

"Okay, could you two please stop flirtin' now?", Jane interrupted their exchange. _I know this is silly, and I don't think they actually wanna get into each other's pants, but... Maur and I are 'just' best friends, I shouldn't get jealous over her flirtin' with other people! Or simply talking friendly to them... Damnit, this is complicated._

* * *

Two hours later, TJ had fallen asleep in his high chair and after putting their dishes into the sink, his parents decided to take him home and put him to bed. Frankie, Frost, and Korsak took this as their cue to leave as well, promising to return the next day and help cleaning up. Angela, who was practically falling asleep on her feet, left for the guesthouse, and just like that, Maura and Jane found themselves alone in Maura's house.

The doctor flopped down onto her couch (yes, flopped- she was too exhausted to properly sit down) and let out a sigh. "Jane, I really like your family, but they should come with a warning, 'Only to be taken in homeopathic doses'."

Jane grinned and sat down next to her friend. "I know what you mean. But it's not just _my _family- I mean, we celebrate Christmas at your house, Ma has practically adopted you as her fourth child, and I..."

"You...?", Maura prompted.

"I'm really happy you're here." Jane put her arms around her friend from behind, lightly nuzzled Maura's hair and felt her heart skip a beat when the blonde leant back and relaxed into their embrace. "So am I, Jane."

Maura knew she was probably going to wake up with a pain in her back from sleeping on the couch, but right now, she couldn't care less.

* * *

**A/N: **At first, I thought this story was going to consist of 2 or 3 chapters. Now I've published three, but still have a few ideas on how the story could go on. Which is why I'm not marking it as complete yet. If you want me to write another chapter, please tell me so via review. Happy holidays! :-)


	4. The Morning After

**Secret Santa Bean Town Style**

Chapter 4- The Morning After

(after the Christmas dinner, duh! ;-)

**Rating: **T for language (just to be safe)

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**A/N: **If you think I shouldn't have published this chapter, please go complain to Detective Marx, IsaBabisa, Melse, or L2QG aka the readers who wrote a review for chapter 3 and told me to, "please continue", this story :-).

* * *

As usual, Maura woke up before Jane- it wasn't even 7 a.m. on a holiday, but the blonde M.E. had always been an early riser. Taking in her surroundings, Maura was a little surprised to find out that she was in her bed, despite having fallen asleep on the couch the evening before. _When did we relocate to the bedroom?... Oh, right._

- Flashback -

"O-umph... Ouch! Shit! ... Maura? You okay?"

Maura jerked awake. "Jay- Jane?"

"Yep." It came out a bit choked, and Maura realized that she was lying on top of her friend, thus making it slightly difficult for Jane to breathe. Rolling herself off of the detective, the doctor blinked several times before looking around the room. "Did we fall off the couch?"

"Uh-huh... Seems like I forgot I was on a narrow couch and not in my bed, and when I tried to turn over, I fell to the floor and pulled you down with me. Sorry 'bout that, by the way." Jane yawned.

"It's okay. Are you hurt?"

"Nope, I'm fine."

Maura, not entirely convinced, wrinkled her brow. "I recall you yelling, 'Ouch!', a few moments ago."

"I hit my head on the floor when I fell, but it doesn't- Maur?"

The blonde returned to the living room with a small flashlight in hand. "I just want to make sure you don't have a concussion." With that, she straddled her best friend's waist, gently positioned her fingers to prevent Jane's left eye from closing, and switched the flashlight on.

Two things happened: The pupil tightened into a small black point, as it was supposed to do, and Jane's thoughts went to places they definitely _weren't _supposed to go. _Damnit Rizzoli, she's your best friend- your _straight _best friend-, you shouldn't think about what this'd feel like if you two were naked!_

Maura repeated the procedure with Jane's right eye before nodding and setting the flashlight down on the couch table. "I don't think you have a concussion, but you have to promise to wake me if you get a headache or start feeling dizzy or nauseous."

"'kay." Jane yawned again. "Uh, can you get off of me? I don't really wanna sleep on your livin' room floor."

Blushing a little, Maura got up and helped Jane stand as well. "Let's go to the bedroom, this couch doesn't offer enough spinal support."

"Why don't you just say sleepin' on the couch is bad for my back?"

"But that's what I said."

Jane let out a puff of air. "You just can't help it, can you?", she remarked before turning to walk to the bedroom. Maura quickly ran after her friend, wanting to know what that last remark had meant. "I can't help but do what?"

* * *

Arriving at their destination, Jane flopped down onto the large bed and checked the alarm clock on the bedside table before looking back at Maura. "It's like 2 a.m. and you're still talkin' like a search engine on legs." _Legs I'd love to feel wrap around my waist while I'm pinning her against a wall and teasin' her till she begs for release- don't go there, damnit! She's your best friend, she's into men, and even if she liked women, she'd be _way _out of your league._ _Oh, and did I mention you're not gay either?_

"Jane, could you please unzip me?"

The brunette forced herself out of her inappropriate thoughts. "Really? I'm tired, why don't you just sleep in your clothes?"

"Wearing an underwire bra to bed can cause skin irritation, and I don't want my dress to become any more wrinkled than it already is", Maura explained matter-of-factly.

"Ugh, okay." Jane dragged herself out of the bed, over to where Maura was standing, and shakily reached for the zipper on the blonde's dress. "Maur?"

"Yes?"

"Are you cold? You've got goosebumps all over your neck."

Maura shook her head no. "It's your voice."

_What the... ? _"My voice makes you feel cold?"

"A low environmental temperature isn't the only thing able to cause goosebumps. Now, could you please unzip me?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Jane started lowering the small zipper, trying (but failing) not to brush her fingertips along Maura's back in the process, which resulted in slightly faster breathing and even more goosebumps. _Alright, she said she wasn't cold and she can't lie, so that part must be true. Then she said something 'bout my voice... Ugh, I'm too tired to think about all this. _The brunette cleared her throat and took half a step back. "There."

"Thanks." And before Jane could react (i.e. close her eyes or turn around), Maura had shimmied out of her dress and bent down to retrieve the piece of clothing from the floor. Standing straight again, the blonde winked at her friend over her shoulder. "See something you like, Detective?"

_Apart from my totally straight female best friend standin' in front of equally straight me in nothin' but_ _lacy red underwear? Nope. _"Uhm, do I have to help you take your bra off, too, or can you do that on your own?"

Jane mentally slapped herself for that question, but Maura didn't seem to mind. "No, I'm good. You can go to sleep."

"'kay." Secretly feeling a little disappointed, the detective lay back down on the bed and squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to get caught staring at her best friend again. She heard soft footsteps leave the room, followed by the sounds of water running, the toilet being flushed, more water running, the quiet humming Jane knew belonged to Maura's electric toothbrush, and... _Was that a moan? No, I must be imaginin' things. It's like two a.m. and I'm really tired, after all._

* * *

When Maura returned to the bedroom a few minutes later, Jane was fast asleep- sprawled across the bed like a starfish, but right when Maura sat down on the mattress, the brunette rolled over onto her side to make room for her friend. Unable to keep herself from smiling, Maura crawled under the sheets, immediately feeling Jane's arms wrap around her waist from behind.

- Present time -

Which was the exact position they found themselves in the next morning, and as much as Maura enjoyed being so close to her best friend, there was a little problem she had to take care of. "Jane?", she tried softly, so as not to startle the detective.

"Huh?"

_Oh, good, she's awake. _"Can you please let me go? I need to use the bathroom."

"Sure." Rolling over onto her back, Jane watched her pajama-clad friend wander off before trying to catch her usual, "five more minutes", of sleep. It didn't work, though, because every time the brunette closed her eyes, there was that image of Maura from the night before. _How did she know I had a thing for lacy underwear? Not for wearin' it myself, of course, but for seein' other women wearing it. Other women bein' Maura- not that I've ever checked out my best friend's panties while we were changing for yoga class or somethin'. Ahem._

* * *

**A/N: **Wanna know if Maura's having similar thoughts? Just read on...


	5. Kissing under the Mistletoe

**Secret Santa Bean Town Style**

Chapter 5- Kissing under the Mistletoe

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine :(.

**A/N: **Exactly what the title says or: beware of Rizzles fluff! ;-)

* * *

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Maura was having her own hard time controlling her thoughts. _I should wake Jane in the middle of the night more often- well, actually I shouldn't because it'd be bad for her health, but the way her voice sounds when she's still half asleep and barely beginning to wake up... _Maura felt a shudder crawl down her spine, and just like her goosebumps from the night before, it had nothing to do with the temperature in the room. _Stop that, _the blonde told herself. _Jane is your best friend, and contrary to poular Boston PD belief, she's not even remotely gay. Although..._

The M.E.'s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Hey Maur, did you drown in the toilet bowl?"

Maura quickly splashed some cold water on her face before unlocking the door. "No, I didn't. Drowning in the toilet bowl would require sticking my head in there so that my nose and mouth are under water, which would be highly unsanitary because of... Wait, you were joking, weren't you?"

"Yep, and you're the dumbest genius I know." Jane grinned before turning to leave. "I'm gonna make breakfast."

* * *

Several minutes later, Maura emerged from the bathroom fully dressed and followed the scent of freshly boiled coffee coming from the kitchen, only to be suddenly stopped in her tracks by bumping into something- or someone, actually. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

Jane nodded. "I'm fine."

"And why exactly are you standing here?"

"Actually, I was on my way to tell you breakfast's ready."

"Well, thanks, but that wasn't necessary. All I had to do was follow the coffee scent", Maura pointed out.

Instead of replying, Jane tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. Maura did the same and noticed they were standing under the very same mistletoe where Frost and Frankie had bumped into each other the night before. _Which means we have to kiss, just like they did._

* * *

Jane had obviously come to the same conclusion, for she took half a step forward, gave her friend a peck on the cheek, and jumped back, only to feel Maura grab her wrist. "Jane, it's called _kissing_ under the mistletoe. That wasn't a kiss."

"It wasn't?"

"Definitely not." And before she could lose her nerve again, Maura had let go of Jane's wrist, dug her fingers into the detective's curly mane, and was kissing her like she'd only done in her dreams until now. The blonde didn't care about the consequences; if this was the first and only time she got to kiss her best friend and secret crush, so be it. If this lead to Jane running away and never coming back... _No._

With much effort, Maura pulled back and stared at the floor, too afraid to look Jane in the eye. _Oh God, what have I done?_

"Maur, look at me." The blonde felt her chin being lifted until she was forced to look into orbs the color of dark chocolate. "You didn't do that just 'cause we're standin' under a mistletoe, did you?"

Maura shook her head no; talking wasn't an option right now.

"Good." This time, it was Jane who pulled Maura in for a kiss, but broke it only moments later to rest her forehead against the blonde's. "Because neither did I- I kissed you 'cause..." _I love you_ "I think about you all the time, and not the way I should think about my straight, female best friend. This morning, when I woke up spoonin' you, I imagined us wakin' up in exactly that position, naked, after a whole night of wild, passionate lovemakin'..." Jane swallowed. "And then I'd somehow manage to get up without wakin' you, go the the kitchen, prepare breakfast, and take it to the bedroom... Urgh, scratch the last part, it's too sappy."

"It's not, it's very romantic. I didn't know you had that in you."

In response, Jane playfully glared at her counterpart. "Don't you dare tell anyone at work about this. I'd never live it down."

Maura pretended to think for a moment before nodding. "Deal. I won't tell that badass Jane Rizzoli is a hopeless romantic at heart, and you won't tell that-"

_Rrrring rring!_

"Urgh", Jane groaned while picking up the phonecall. "Rizzoli."

"Dr Isles... Where? Okay, Jane and I'll be there in ten minutes." Maura ended the call and went to grab her purse. Returning to the hallway, she gave Jane a last kiss before reluctantly pulling away. "My place, 7 p.m. tonight? We'll probably not have solved the case by then, but a girl can dream, right?"

Jane smiled. "Oh yeah. And sometimes her dreams actually come true."

* * *

**A/N: **I know Maura loves talking about sex and is probably way more experienced and adventurous than Jane in that department (Jane seems to be a bit of a prude), but there's one thing Dr Isles doesn't really know how to deal with, and that's her feelings. Sure, she knows everything about hormones and neurotransmitters and stuff, but when it comes to actually falling in love herself, I figured she'd be a little insecure. So would Jane, but she'd try to hide behind jokes and her trademark sarcasm... Well, that's what I was thinking while writing this chapter :).

Anyway, there won't be any updates until next year because I'm going on holiday tomorrow morning and won't return until early January. So for now, have an nice New Year's Eve (don't drink too much ;-), and a happy New Year 2014,

MM-UP :-)


	6. Two Weeks Later

**Secret Santa Bean Town Style**

Chapter 6- Two Weeks Later

**Rating: **K+ to T

**Disclaimer: **Please return to ch. 5 and carefully read the disclaimer there.

**A/N for everyone: **Basically just a summary of what has happened to everyone's Secret Santa gifts two weeks after Christmas.

**Special A/N for those who live in Canada or the North-Eastern US: **No offense, but when I saw the pictures in the news, I was damn glad I don't live in your area. Don't get me wrong, I like snow- as long as it doesn't come in a blizzard and temperatures don't drop to, like, 30 degrees Celsius below zero! (That's 22 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, according to Wikipedia). Anyway, I hope you're okay and your computers/ smartphones/ whatever are still working so that you can read this fluff-y chapter and maybe feel a little warmer afterwards ;-).

* * *

After watching his dog training DVD, Korsak had started teaching his own dog not to run after bicycle riders any more (with limited success, since Starsky wasn't exactly, "the Einstein of dogs", as Korsak put it).

Angela had started quoting weird laws from her book at every appropriate or inappropriate opportunity ("Did you know that if you get drunk in Australia, you're allowed to sleep with a kangaroo?"- "Wha... Ew! No! Too much information!").

Lydia had bonded with her mother-in-law over a shopping tour (Angela was extremely delighted to finally have a 'daughter' who, unlike Jane, actually enjoyed buying clothes).

Tommy's photobook already contained so many photos of his son that he was probably going to need another empty book before TJ's first birthday.

After getting incredibly drunk on New Year's Eve, Frankie had deemed it a good idea to put on his Easy Rider T-shirt and ride his motorbike around the block while singing, "Born to be wild." The next few days, he was down with the flu. (At least none of the neighbors had called the cops or Frankie would be looking for a new job now).

In addition to the Red Sox scarf he had received for Christmas, Frost had bought himself another (dark blue) one, "just in case I'll have to arrest a die-hard Yankees fan someday" (to which Korsak had replied, "Dude, I've lived in Boston all my life and never met a single Yankees fan in town...").

Maura had eaten some of her fudge clusters herself, but mostly offered them to anyone who came along (not including Bass and Jo Friday, of course, "because neither canines nor reptiles are able to properly digest chocolate"- "Thanks Google").

* * *

Jane's honey dust... well, that was a longer story. It started on a snowy Sunday morning in early January- but not the kind of snowy where you snuggle on the couch, drink hot chocolate, and watch the snowflakes dancing through the air outside. No, this snow was coming in a veritable snowstorm that wasn't romantic at all and had caused a power outage, so hot chocolate wasn't an option- or was it?

"Maura, d'you happen to own a camping cooker?"

"I do, but I'm afraid I don't remember where it is. Why do you ask?"

"I thought we could make some hot chocolate, but we don't have to, I'm not cold. You?"

Maura shook her head no. "I've got a blanket, a fire in my fireplace, and a hot Italian detective to keep me warm."

"Why, thanks Giovanni..."

"Could we please not talk about Mr I-want-to-lick-your-face?"

Jane grinned at Maura's tortured expression. "Sorry. Is there anythin' else you'd like to do?"

"As a matter of fact, Detective, there are several things I feel like doing..."

"Yeah?" Jane played cool, but in her mind she was already busy calculating: _So we've got about 20 candles in here, and I'll have to take at least half of them to the bedroom if I wanna see Maura properly during our, uhm, activities. But maybe we can just stay on the couch- there's a fuckin' blizzard outside, after all, so there's very little chance of my mother leavin' the guesthouse and walkin' in on us naked... again..._

* * *

"... we could play a game, for example."

"A game? Really? It's too dark to play, 'I Spy', and besides, we're a bit too old for that, same thing goes for Truth or Dare, and I don't wanna stumble around your house in the darkness lookin' for a chessboard. Or... were you talking about a little more-" Jane dropped her voice to a whisper- "adult games, Doctor Isles?"

That last question earned the detective a wink and a smile so seductive it should be made illegal. "Maybe later, if you behave... For now, I'd like to play this game- well, actually it's not a real game, it's more of a philosophical... I'll just give you an example."

Jane snuggled even closer to her companion and nuzzled the M.E.'s hair before softly exhaling into her ear, causing Maura to giggle. "That tickles!"

"Yeah, that's kinda the point of it..."

"It is?... Anyway, back to topic: The point of my, well, game is to give two statements and draw a conclusion from them. For example..." Maura thought for a moment. "Statement One: Turtles have flippers. Statement Two: Bass has legs. Conclusion: Bass isn't a turtle."

"Gee, Maura, that's the most exciting game I've ever played", Jane remarked with a trademark Rizzoli eyeroll. "You sure you don't wanna come to the bedroom with me and play some, 'adult games'?"

It was a tempting idea, but Maura wasn't about to give in so fast. "Not until you've come up with two statements and a conclusion yourself."

"Hmph... Okay, fine. Just let me think for a sec..." Jane could barely stop herself from grinning triumphantly as a thought crossed her mind. _Perfect. _"Statement One: In the instruction manual for my Secret Santa gift, it says that honey dust makes your skin really soft. Statement Two: I don't think your skin can get any softer. Conclusion: I'm not gonna try my honey dust on you."

"Awwww..." Maura made that adorable pouty face of hers and Jane already felt her resolve weaken. _No. This time I won't let her talk me into... _The brunette's thoughts were interrupted by a wooly sweatshirt hitting her square in the face. "Hey!"

The only reply was a giggle, shortly followed by another piece of clothing landing in Jane's lap. Growling, the brunette pushed the sweatshirt away from her face and glared at her blonde counterpart. "Maura Isles, stop throwin' your clothes at me or I'm gonna-"

"- do what, exactly?"

"- tickle you to death", Jane finished a bit lamely, to which Maura wrinkled her forehead: "It's scientifically impossible to tickle-"

Jane got up from the couch, pulled her girlfriend into a hug, and silenced her with a kiss. "I think I've changed my opinion about the honey dust."

Maura grinned and tucked a strand of black hair behind Jane's ear. "I'm glad to hear that. Maybe I should undress and throw my clothes at you more often..."

"You should definitely undress more often, but next time, you can skip the clothes throwing part. And now, let's move this to the bedroom and get under the covers... on a second thought, no. Stay right here, I'm just gonna get my honey dust from the bedroom."

* * *

Some time later, Maura and Jane had ended up on a blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace, with another blanket providing additional warmth. "Have I told you recently that I'm really happy you're here?", the detective whispered after a while, as if she was afraid to break the silence.

"You have, but I don't mind hearing it again."

"Good, because I'm really, _really_ happy you're here."

Maura chuckled. "Me too, Jane. Let's take a little nap and then maybe start Round Two? Is there any honey dust left over?"

"Yeah, Frost got me quite a big box of that stuff."

"I think we should thank him for that some day", Maura remarked, immediately feeling Jane tense up behind her: "Oh no, we won't. My love life is absolutely none of my partner's business."

The M.E. smiled a little before snuggling closer to her detective and letting out a contented sigh. "Okay."

Jane's last thoughts before falling asleep were: _We're in the middle of a blizzard and I'm lyin' on a blanket in front of Maura's fireplace with a sleeping Maura in my arms- after we tried my new honey dust on each other. My badass reputation is officially ruined. But you know what? I don't care._

* * *

**A/N**

Bad news: This was the last chapter of, 'Secret Santa Bean Town Style' (for now).

Good news: I'm already working on another Rizzles fic and I'm quite sure I'll manage to upload it before February 25 :-).


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